CHRISTY MOORE

Back Home In Derry Lyrics

In 1803 we sailed out to seaOut from the sweet town of DerryFor Australia bound if we didn't all drownAnd the marks of our fetters we carriedIn our rusty iron chains we cried for our weansOur good women we left in sorrowAs the mainsails unfurled, our curses we hurledOn the English, and thoughts of tomorrow

At the mouth of the Foyle, bid farewell to the soilAs down below decks we were lyingO'Doherty screamed, woken out of a dreamBy a vision of bold Robert dyingThe sun burned cruel as we dished out the gruel Dan O'Connor was down with a feverSixty rebels today bound for Botany Bay How many will meet their reciever

CHORUSOh..... I wish I was back home in DerryOh..... I wish I was back home in Derry

I cursed them to hell as her bow fought the swell Our ship danced like a moth in the firelightWhite horses rode high as the devil passed by Taking souls to Hades by twilightFive weeks out to sea, we were now forty-threeWe buried our comrades each morningIn our own slime we were lost in a timeOf endless night without dawning

CHORUS

Van Diemen's land is a hell for a manTo end out his whole life in slaveryWhere the climate is raw and the gun makes the lawNeither wind nor rain care for braveryTwenty years have gone by, I've ended my bondMy comrades ghosts walk behind meA rebel I came - I'm still the sameOn the cold winters night you will find me